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We finally had a partially sunny day in New York yesterday! I was only outside during the day for about 5 minutes, but it felt so good to see the sun again. Living here has definitely made me appreciate the sun. When I was living in Phoenix, I used to think, “What’s the point of a sunny day if it’s sunny every day?” and now that definitely rings true. Sunny days are invigorating now, whereas in Phoenix, I used to pray for a rainy day to break up all of the sameness of the desert climate. Our apartment is still freezing, though! We have stone floors in the kitchen and living room now, instead of hardwood, which is great because it’s so much easier to clean, but it certainly doesn’t retain heat very well. I don’t mind it, though. I like bundling up in my cozy pajamas after a long day at work, and sometimes our old apartment was so hot, even in the winter, that I couldn’t do that. This new place just keeps getting better and better! We have a lot of errands to run this weekend, as we need a bunch of random items for the apartment, but I’m excited to see the place come together.

These wings are, of course, in honor of Superbowl Weekend, as all of my posts have been this week. I have breakfast and dessert ready to go, but what about something to munch on during the game? Why, these Boneless Bonchon Buffalo Wings are just the thing to make. Bonchon is a type of fried chicken that comes from South Korea. It is a lot crispier than American fried chicken, because it is fried not once, but twice. It is also a bit lighter and less greasy, because the coating is done with a much finer flour, such a Wondra. Wondra is a “quick mixing” flour, so it’s perfect for bonchon, as it doesn’t clump like regular flour does. It is absolutely amazing and if you have never had the pleasure of visiting a restaurant that serves bonchon-like chicken, Superbowl is the perfect excuse to make it yourself at home. I wanted to step it up a notch, so I de-boned my wings. It’s actually a lot easier that it sounds, and the result is well worth it. The boneless wings are the perfect party food, as you can pop them in your mouth and enjoy without worrying about making a mess or figuring out where to put your discarded bones. The sauce that I used is a soy ginger glaze, and let me tell you, it is truly finger-lickin’ good. The recipe calls for a lot of ginger, which I was a bit wary of at first, but I followed the instructions and it ended up being one of the best sauces that I’ve ever made. I knew we’d need something cool to dip the wings in, but I didn’t want to do anything typical with these extra special wings. I decided on a crème fraiche aioli, which is still creamy like any other dip, but it has a much more mild flavor so it doesn’t overpower the soy ginger glaze. The recipe I used was the winner of Food 52‘s Best Chicken Wing recipe, so I knew that they had to be amazing. Have a great Superbowl weekend (and you will with these wings).

The chicken ingredients.

Start by breaking down your wings. First, cut off the tip and discard. Then, cut the wings in half using the joint as a reference point.

Now, remove the bones from the meaty part of the wing (not the drumstick looking part) by cutting off the bottom and top of the wing so you can get at the bone, then pushing the meat down along the bone. The bone should slip right out.

My chicken wing massacre. What a lovely pile of delicious potential.

Combine the Wondra, salt, and pepper. I highly recommend Wondra because of how fine it is – it’s amazing for frying. If you haven’t tried it, do yourself a favor and pick some up.

Toss your wings in the flour mixture. These are the boneless wings.

Heat your oil to 350 degrees F and add in your chicken in small batches, frying for 4-5 minutes, until golden.

After seeing how messy this process was, I made a little foil guard around the lip of my pot.

Let dry on paper towels and/or a cooling rack. When you have finished all of your chicken, go back and fry them again for a second time.

This will add an extra level of crispiness.

While the oil heats and the chicken fries, get your sauce ready. Start by peeling and slicing your ginger. I know it seems like a lot of ginger, but the end result is amazingly delicious, and I’m not even a fan of that much ginger under normal circumstances.

Bring everything except the honey to a boil, then add in the honey, and cook until reduced by half. Remove the ginger from the sauce and toss with the chicken wings.

Now, don’t forget to make your crème fraiche aioli.

Blend together your garlic, egg yolk, and lemon juice. Slowly add in the oil until it starts to thicken, then add in the rest of the oil.

1-2 tablespoons Sriracha or any garlic chile sauce (I used 2 tablespoons because I like it spicy)

3 tablespoons honey

red pepper flakes or scallions, for garnish (optional)

Crème Fraiche Aioli

½ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup olive oil

1 clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1 egg yolk

juice of half a lemon

¼ cup crème fraiche

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

Instructions

Wings

First, prep your chicken. Start by cutting off the wing tips and discarding them. Them, cut the wings at the joint where the webbing meets (photo above). Now, you will need to remove the bones from the meaty part of the wing (not the drumstick looking part). To do this, cut the edges off of both ends of the wing, then put the bones out, being careful not to cut yourself on the sharp bone (photo above). You just need to push the meat of the chicken down along the bone (you can turn the meat inside out if you need to), and the bones should slip right out.

Place your oil in a large pot. You will want there to be at least 3-4 inches of oil in the pot. Heat the oil over high heat until it reached 350 degrees F (it will be bubbling). You can line your pot with a foil guard, as I did (photo above), to keep the oil from spurting out all over your stove top, if you want. Combine your Wondra, salt, and pepper. Toss your wings in the flour, being sure that they are all well coated. When the oil is ready, place the chicken in the oil in small batches, frying for 4-5 minutes, until golden. Move to a cooling rack and/or thick bed of paper towels to dry, and finish up the rest of your chicken. After you have fried all of your chicken, you are going to go back and fry them all a second time, for extra crispiness. Add the first batch back to the oil and fry for another 4-5 minutes, until nice and golden brown. Remove and allow to dry on the paper towels or cooling rack again while you finish up the rest of your chicken.

While your oil heats and your chicken fries, make your soy ginger glaze. Combine the water, thinly sliced ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, and Sriracha (or chile sauce) in a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat. When boiling, add in the honey. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened and reduced by about half. This should take about 10 minutes. Remove the ginger from the sauce and toss the finished fried chicken in it. Sprinkle with some scallions and/or red pepper flakes, if desired. Serve with crème fraiche aioli (recipe follows), some vegetables, and enjoy.

Crème Fraiche Aioli

In a small cup, combine the vegetable oil and the olive oil. In a blender or food processor, combine the yolk, lemon juice, and garlic and blend. Pour in the oil mixture, a bit at a time, blending after every small amount you add. Once you have added about ⅓ of the oil, you can start adding more and more at a time, continuing to blend between every pour, until it starts to thicken. Fold in the crème fraiche. Add salt and/or pepper to taste. Can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 24 hours.

Those look yummy! I’ve also never heard of Wondra. Going to look for it next time I go shopping, for sure. And I love the foil guard! I hate frying because it’s so messy – what a great remedy for that!

Hey Sydney! I was just wondering…did you not de-bone the “drumstick” part of the wings? I wasn’t sure from your pictures and instructions. Alternatively, if you don’t mind the bones, could you just leave them in or would it affect cooking time? These look awesome!!

Have you been to Bonchon in midtown? It’s in Korea town, around the west 30s. It’s soooo good! This post got me craving their food. Also, where did you find the Wondra flour? I’m going to have to make these for myself!